Man Confesses To Burying Bodies of Missing Journalist, Guide in Amazon: Cops

Journalist Dom Phillips and his guide Bruno Pereira went missing on 5 June, in an Amazonian area.

(Photo: EU Parliament)

A day after the Brazilian police arrested a second suspect in connection with the disappearance of a British journalist and an indigenous expert in the Amazon, one of the them confessed to burying the bodies on Wednesday, 15 June.

Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, a fisherman who was arrested on 7 June, had earlier denied any involvement, BBC reported.

Journalist Dom Phillips and his guide Bruno Pereira went missing on 5 June, in an Amazonian area where drug trafficking and environmental crimes like illegal mining, fishing, and logging are rampant.

Although Amarildo hasn't yet confessed to killing the men and has only said that he participated in the incident, the police said that he recounted the crime precisely and knew where the bodies were buried, news agency AFP reported.

This marked the end of a 10-day search in the country involving the army, navy and police.

The latest suspect in the case, Oseney da Costa Oliveira, who was arrested on Tuesday, 14 June, is reportedly Amarildo's brother. He was booked in Atalaia do Norte, the city that Phillips and Pereira were coming back to when they disappeared after receiving threats during a trip.

'Their Murder is a Political Crime'

Although the police have said that they expect to arrest more people in the coming days and that the motives were under investigation, Univaja, the region's indigenous association, that first alerted the police when the duo went missing, said:

"Univaja understands their murder is a political crime, they were both human rights defenders and died doing work to look after us indigenous people from Vale do Javari."

What Has the President Said?

President Jair Bolsonaro, whose government has drawn flak for prolonging the investigation, said on Wednesday that Philips was disliked because "he wrote a lot of articles against illegal gold miners (and) environmental issues."

He was criticised for blaming the missing men for their disappearance, and saying that "they should have redoubled the precautions."

He added that it was "very reckless to travel in that region without being sufficiently prepared, physically and with weapons."

What Has the Family Said?

"Although we are still awaiting final confirmation, this tragic finale puts an end to the anguish of not knowing where Dom and Bruno were," Phillips' Brazilian wife, Alessandra Sampaio, in a statement Wednesday.

"Today we also begin our fight for justice... we will only have peace when the necessary measures are taken to ensure that such tragedies do not happen again."

The Backdrop

Phillips and Pereira were reportedly travelling by a boat when they went missing on 5 June, and locals indicated that both were under threat over their work advocating for indigenous rights in the region.

As per The Guardian report, personal items, including clothing, were spotted during a search operation in the Javari region on Monday, 13 June.

Phillips, 57, who was compiling a book on sustainable development in Amazon, also contributed to The Guardian among other leading international publications.

Pereira, 41, who is a well-regarded champion of indigenous people in the region was his guide. He was reportedly being threated by miners, loggers and illegal fishermen who had been trying to take over protected lands.

Their disappearance had triggered global outrage, including attention from high-profile political figures and the Irish rock band U2.

(With inputs from BBC, The Guardian, and AFP.)